The present invention relates to a toy gun and a loading device for a toy gun. More particularly the invention relates to a toy gun to which a gas cartridge can be attached to fire a bullet by the pressure of compressed gas in the gas cartridge, and a toy gun gas cartridge loading device for loading a gas cartridge in the toy gun.
In some of the air guns which fire a bullet using compressed gas such as CO2 gas, an attachable/detachable toy gun gas cartridge loading device (puncture unit) is attached to the gun body with a gas cylinder housed in the loading device.
This type of air gun is more advantageous than a toy gun with a gas cylinder housed directly in the gun body in the sense that it is easier to cope with change in the gas which may be caused by firing. The reason is as follows. Generally, in an air gun which uses compressed gas as an energy source, the gas becomes cool after firing. When the gas becomes cool, the expansion force of the gas weakens and the following problem arises: the bullet speed drops or in the case of a blowback toy gas gun, the gun fails to work normally, for example, a blowback failure occurs.
In a toy gun in which a gas cylinder is housed directly in the gun body, when the gas has been once used and becomes cool, it is difficult to warm the gas and sometimes it may be necessary to warm it, for example, by putting the gun in a warm place.
A toy gun which uses an attachable/detachable toy gun gas cartridge loading device is more convenient because the user can restart using the toy gun immediately after replacement of the toy gun gas cartridge loading device.
In the case of a toy gun in which two gas cylinders are housed directly in the toy gun body, it is troublesome for the user since the gas cylinders must be replaced one by one.
On the other hand, a toy gun which uses a toy gun gas cartridge loading device is more convenient in the sense that even when the air gun uses two gas cylinders, the user has only to replace a single puncture unit upon replacement of the gas cylinders.
There are two types of toy air gun which use a toy gun gas cartridge loading device: in one type, the gas cartridge loading device has a valve to fire a bullet and in the other type, the gas cartridge loading device does not have such a valve.
In the latter type of air gun, when the toy gun gas cartridge loading device is attached to the toy gun body, the gas in the gas cylinder of the gas cartridge loading device flows into the air chamber of the toy gun body. As the user pulls the trigger to fire a bullet, a discharge valve opens and the gas quickly flows out of the air chamber to fire the bullet. The present invention concerns an air gun which uses a toy gun gas cartridge loading device as mentioned above and has a valve built in the toy gun body.
An example of a toy gun gas cartridge loading device of this type in the related art is disclosed in JP-A-2012-42116 entitled TOY GUN AND LOADING DEVICE. The device is described as follows: “An air chamber body 122 located in a toy gun forms an air chamber 126. The compressed gas in the air chamber body 122 passes through a gas discharge part to fire a bullet held in a bullet holder from a muzzle. A valve opens and closes the communication between the air chamber body 122 and the gas discharge part according to operation of an operating part. The toy gun includes a plurality of gas cartridge holders 210. Gas cylinders 102 are loaded in the gas cartridge holders 210. Each gas cartridge holder 210 has a first valve. The compressed gas in the gas cylinder 102 loaded in the gas cartridge holder 210 is passed through a gas introduction part 301 and introduced into the air chamber 126.”
However, when the toy gun gas cartridge loading device is detached from the gun for replacement, etc., if there is residual compressed gas in the air chamber of the toy gun body, the gas is going to flow out quickly, so the toy gun gas cartridge loading device may jump out of the toy gun body. Therefore, in order to prevent the toy gun gas cartridge loading device from jumping out in this way, a toy gun in the related art has a double-step mechanism to detach the toy gun gas cartridge loading device from the toy gun body as mentioned below.
The double-step mechanism in the related art is as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. FIG. 15 is a fragmentary enlarged view of a toy gun gas cartridge loading device attached to a toy gun in the related art and its vicinity and FIG. 16 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the toy gun gas cartridge loading device in the related art and its vicinity, in which the toy gun gas cartridge loading device is being detached from the toy gun with a second puncture catch engaged with the toy gun gas cartridge loading device.
In this related art, a reference numeral 201 denotes a toy gun body and a reference numeral 202 denotes a valve. As shown in the figures, the valve 202 is fixed in the toy gun body 201. A reference numeral 204 denotes an air chamber and 205 denotes a gun body side coupling valve. A reference numeral 211 denotes a toy gun gas cartridge loading device (puncture unit) which houses two gas cylinders 212.
A member which disengages the valve 202 and the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 from each other is referred to as a first lock (puncture catch) 213 and a member which once locks the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 is referred to as a second lock (second puncture catch) 214.
A fixing groove 215 is provided on a lateral surface of the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211. As the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 begins disengaging from the toy gun body 201, a puncture catch lock 216 fixed on the tip of the second lock 214 of the toy gun body 201 fits in the fixing groove 215, so that the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 is once locked and fixed (FIG. 16).
By pushing down the first lock 213 located in the loading device housing 203 of the toy gun body 201, the first lock 213 is turned and the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 is disengaged from the first lock (puncture catch) 213.
At this moment, the toy gun gas cartridge loading device (puncture unit) 211 tries to be released from the toy gun body 201 by the pressure of the gas in the air chamber of the toy gun body 201 but the puncture catch lock 216 at the tip of the second lock 214 fits in the fixing groove 215 of the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211.
The gas in the air chamber is passed through the space between the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 and the air chamber 204 and forced out of the toy gun body 201.
Then, by pushing down the second lock 214, the second lock 214 and the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 are disengaged from each other and as shown in FIG. 16, the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 becomes safely detachable.
In other words, the double-step mechanism to detach the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 from the toy gun body 201 includes the following steps as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16.
(1) Immediately after the valve 202 in the toy gun body 201 and the first lock 213 of the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 are disengaged from each other, the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 is once locked by the second lock 214 as another lock member provided on the toy gun body 201.
As a consequence, the gas in the air chamber of the toy gun body 201 flows out of the toy gun body 201, thereby eliminating the possibility that the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 might jump out.
(2) The user unlocks the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 from the second lock 214 and takes the toy gun gas cartridge loading device 211 out of the toy gun body 201.
The “toy gun and toy gun gas cartridge loading device” which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-077284 as filed by the present applicant also includes a double-step mechanism which uses a first lock and a second lock and requires the user to carry out step (2) above.
Patent Document 1    Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-42116
However, the above related art technique has the following problem: in order to detach the gas cartridge loading device from the toy gun body, the user must carry out the following two actions:
(1) pushing the first lock, then
(2) pushing the second lock.